


Cat or Mountain Lion

by xxxbookaholic



Series: Heist to Your Heart [1]
Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Detective Saihara Shuichi, First Meetings, Flirting, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Phantom Thief Oma Kokichi, Self-Indulgent, Short & Sweet, i might continue this au but whatever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:54:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29350029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxxbookaholic/pseuds/xxxbookaholic
Summary: When Shuichi said he was curious about the new phantom thief in town, he didn't exactly mean this, but he might as well take advantage of the situation while he was in it, right?
Relationships: Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Series: Heist to Your Heart [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2176143
Comments: 2
Kudos: 77





	Cat or Mountain Lion

**Author's Note:**

> this is random and self-indulgent since im saiouma deprived but i hope you enjoy it anyways!!!

Never once in Shuichi’s detective life had he felt as if he were on equal grounds with a criminal. Catching thieves, murderers, and pedophiles was simply part of his contract; there was nothing particularly exciting or interesting about it. Or at least, that was until the police finally, _finally_ , handed over the phantom thief case they’d been hiding under stacks and stacks of confidential paperwork; said phantom thief being a short, purple-haired genius who went by the name, _King of Hearts._

He was unlike any thief Shuichi had ever met; where most cat burglars were sloppy and obscure, King was flashy and firm. The boy came and went where he pleased, and no matter how obvious he made his crime, there was never a single piece of evidence left behind. To say Shuichi was curious about his motives would be an understatement. As such, he made sure to never miss a single heist, no matter how miniscule.

…But even so, this was a bit much, wasn’t it? He was just a detective–a data analyzer, at most–and yet there he was, standing directly across from King without a weapon in sight. _When I said I wanted to know more about him,_ Shuichi thought, lip trembling, _this is not at all what I meant._

King didn’t even try to flee; he stared straight ahead, looking him in the eye and smirking like he had Shuichi right where he wanted him. “So, detective,” he purred, his voice high-pitched but still terribly intimidating, “you finally managed to catch me.”

With every step the thief took towards him, Shuichi took another backwards, as if they were dancing a beyond confusing tango. Still, even as his skin prickled and hair stood on end, the detective didn’t turn and bolt. He had gotten too far, _too close,_ to give up. “I’ve been watching you, ya know,” King commented, his head tilted and his gaze running up and down Shuichi’s shivering body. “You ought to be more careful, following my footsteps like a bloodhound. With a liar like me, you never know what you’ll find.”

Shuichi swallowed down his anxiety and finally opened his mouth to shoot back, “that’s why I’m investigating in the first place. I’ll never know if I don’t try, right?” His voice was surprisingly steady, and if it wasn’t for his slick-sweat hands, he’d almost be able to convince himself he wasn’t currently shaking in his boots.

King paused, his eyes wide. _He wasn’t expecting me to respond,_ Shuichi realized, eyebrows raised to his hairline. Just as quickly as the moment of vulnerability appeared, it was swept away like a pile of dust by the thief’s evergrowing grin. “Oh, so you’re an inquisitive one, huh?” Suddenly, any menacing features that had settled his face were blown away like the wind, instead being replaced by a sort of childlike glee. He stopped walking right where he was, just inches away from Shuichi.

Seeing King caught off guard, even for just a second, sent a fresh wave of confidence over Shuichi’s heart, drowning out his worries similar to how a tsunami probably would. “And you’re the obnoxious type,” he replied, his voice just a tad bit louder than it had been before.

King giggled at that, eyes bright. He looked like a kid in a candy store, surveying Shuichi as if he were a shiny new toy for him to play with. “Wow, Mr. Detective! You hit it right on the nose! Ten points for…” He waved his hand, gesturing for him to finish the sentence.

Shuichi took a second to think it over. On one hand, telling a world-renowned criminal his name was practically the same as ding-dong-ditching Lord Death’s door. There was no telling what King could do to him, _would_ do to him, if he were to let any personal information slip. On the other hand, though, it wasn’t like Shuichi had too much to lose. If anything, easing up King’s nerves could play a big hand in his capture.

So, like any responsible adult, he continued, “Shuichi Saihara.”

“Ten points for Shumai,” King affirmed, waving around jazz hands. If it weren’t for Shuichi’s burning cheeks, he would have corrected the nickname. “So then, _Shumai,_ ” he said, smile never wavering for a second. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Shuichi raised a brow. “Why are you being so nice to me?” He couldn’t help but ask, his itching curiosity having gotten too strong to handle.

King leaned forward at the question, nose twitching like a cat sniffing its prey. “It’s simple,” he cheered, “you’ve piqued my interest! And that’s hard to do, Shumai, so you should be proud of yourself!”

Shuichi blinked once, twice, and then intelligently said, “huh?”

“I _mean_ ,” King drawled, mouth twisting into an irritated scowl, “you’re interesting. The whole ‘I’ll figure this thing out’ attitude is just _so_ _refreshing_!” Even as he said it, Shuichi couldn’t help but feel like he meant the opposite.

“So what you’re saying,” he said, “is that you don’t care that I’m here to throw you in jail.”

“Yup!” King laughed, “because you won’t catch me, anyways. Really, who do you think you are, a _detective_?” _Yeah, kind of._

A hush fell over them after that, giving Shuichi a much-needed chance to consider who he was really dealing with. Sure, King may _look_ scrawny, but judging by the amount of times he’s outrun law enforcer after law enforcer, he was quick. Either that, or he was way too smart for his own good. _Or maybe he’s both,_ Shuichi’s mind supplied, eyes narrowed.

A mask covered most of his face, obscuring everything but his twinkling eyes and quirked lips from view. He wore a straight jacket and pure black cape, and poking out from right behind his neck was a tiny tuft of purple hair, most likely pulled back into a ponytail. _This is more than enough information to give to our artist._

Shuichi wasn’t sure why the very idea of turning King into authorities turned sour by just looking into his shining eyes. He probably would have given more thought to that question if King hadn’t suddenly jumped forward, gripping his wrist and spinning around to swap their positions.

“Well, Shumai, I’ll be going now!” He chirped, tugging him closer and closer towards the edge of the museum roof. His once burnt-pink cheeks turned frigid as he glanced down below him, surveying the racing cars and flashing lights.

“Wait, I–“ Shuichi started, but King interrupted him before he could continue.

“Supreme leaders wait for no man!” He cheered, before tilting himself over the edge and giving a small wave. “See you later! And remember, Mr. Detective,” his smirk turned sinister under the dull moonlight. “Curiosity killed the cat.” And with that pleasant farewell, he fell off the edge, laughing the whole way down.

Shuichi scrambled to watch him leave, but by the time he got the courage to look downwards, King was already gone into the night with nothing left but a handprint on his heart. All at once, the yelling from just a few rooms over became clearer than ever, although who exactly were talking was all a blur. With ringing ears, all he could do was gasp for air and pray that King hadn’t snapped his neck on the way down.

_This,_ Shuichi thought, heart racing, _definitely wasn’t what I planned for Taco Tuesday._

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed the story despite how short it is! if you could leave a comment, id be very grateful. my tumblr is xxxbookaholic if youre interested!  
> sorry, i dont really have much to say, lmao. im sleep-deprived and procrastinating. if i write more phantom thief saiouma, it will probably be in this universe, so look out for that!  
> have a nice rest of your day/night!


End file.
